This invention relates to a particular card game known as "PAN" and more particularly as "Panguige", a well known card game that is played at a game table which is usually of substantial size due to the number of players involved and participating in the game. The game involves the distribution and drawing of the playing cards from a deck thereof, which must be readily accessible to the players. Accessibility of deck of playing cards to the players situated around the game table is the purpose herein, and it is a general object of this invention to improve upon the prior art turntable type devices that have previously been used.
Turntable devices and rotatable platforms of the type under consideration are usually comprised of a platform rotatable upon a base by means of an intervening circular row of ball bearings or the like. The platform and base are usually drawn together by a concentric draw pin, and the multiplicity of ball bearings are confined to operate in grooves of substantial radius from the centering pin. The prior art turntables of the aforesaid conventional construction are not altogether satisfactory, in that concentricity of the ball bearing grooves and of said grooves and centering pin is difficult to obtain if realized at all, to the end that these turntables are far from precision, and with the result that they are sloppy and noisy and do not run free, nor do they have predictable frictional characteristics. Quite often, the platform droops or sags. With the present invention, it is an object to provide a swivel dispenser of the fewest number of parts that are easily manufactured with precision and wherein concentricity is not a problem, and all to the end that a smooth and quiet operating rotatable device is provided with predictable frictional characteristics.
It is an object of this invention to provide a swivel dispenser of the type referred to, wherein the coefficient of friction between the rotating platform remains uniform with reference to the supporting base. Accordingly, the amount of force required in order to turn the device remains the same, and the braking effect is also consistent. Thus, the braking effect normally retains a stationary positioning of the platform at rest, while friction is predictably overcome when a player moves the deck of cards into a convenient position for his or her draw from the deck. In practice, plastic material is employed for the platform and base, one bearing upon the other at a uniform radius and area of engagement. The centering pin runs substantially friction free, with an initially adjusted axial thrust positioning that maintains a close rattle free fit between the platform and base.
Access across larger game tables is a problem, and to this end it is an object of this invention to facilitate access by extending a portion of the platform to be brought toward and into alignment with a player for drawing cards from the deck. Accordingly, the chip and card holder is provided with an extension which can be reached more readily by the players as they require access to the chips and to the card deck.